Cat-O-Vision

~In the video below (from 2009), scientists at UC-Berkeley demonstrate how they can directly capture images of what a cat sees, not from its eyes, but directly from its brain.

Sure, it’s a neat use of technology…but watch until the video reaches the 1:04 mark.  That’s when things get interesting.  If you’ve ever wondered what your cat really sees when it looks at you, wonder no longer:

 

Rise of the Machines

~The chart below shows yesterday’s top stories on the BBC News website.  Perhaps they’re onto something?

Links:

• Skynet seeks idle computer power
• Supercomputer predicts revolution

Now it’s only a matter of time before Skynet develops time travel:

The wonders all around us

~Yesterday evening, while I was at work, there was a sudden intense storm that lasted for about half an hour. When it was over, a break in the clouds let some sunlight through, and a beautiful rainbow appeared on the horizon.

I ducked my head into the nearby computer lab, a windowless room where around a dozen students were variously typing, talking, and looking at Facebook. "If anyone's interested," I said, pointing out the door, "there's a rainbow outside." Some of the students glanced up, looking at me blankly.  I returned to my desk and enjoyed watching the rainbow through a window. After a couple of minutes, the clouds closed, and the rainbow disappeared.

None of the students bothered to look.

Apollo Site Pictures from Lunar Orbit

~The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been orbiting the Moon since 2009, creating detailed maps of the lunar surface.  NASA recently released several images showing the landing sites from Apollo 12, 14, and 17.  Here’s one showing the Apollo 17 site:

 

^ “The Apollo 17 landing site: To the far right, the Lunar Roving Vehicle; Toward the center, the descent stage of the Challenger lunar module. The lines are tracks and cables.”

Click on the above image for a larger view, or see more of the images here.  Or explore the surface of the moon with Google Moon!

Arboretum Pictures

~Last Sunday I visited the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh.  Here are some pictures from the trip:

^ Row after row of carefully-tended, colorful flowers.  They are used to test different kinds of flowers to see how well they grow in this part of the country.

 

^ Dad, in front of the flowers.  Nice hat!

 

^ Bees, like the one crawling around in this flower, were everywhere in the Arboretum.  But they didn’t bother me at all – they were far too busy with the abundant flowers.

^ More test flowers.  I assume there’s some sort of underground drip irrigation, since I didn’t see hoses anywhere.  The staff at the Arboretum must be hard-working and dedicated to tend all of these plants, especially with the hot & dry weather we’ve had lately.

 

^ Relaxing on a bench.

If you live in the Raleigh area, why not visit the Arboretum?  It’s free, and open every day from 8:00am – 8:00pm. 

Pirates!

~Last week I went to a concert called PIRATES!, in which the North Carolina Symphony orchestra performed music from pirate-related films and operas, as well as other seafaring music.  They played the overture from Captain Blood, some music from The Pirates of Penzance, some English sea shanties, and of course some of the soundtrack from the more recent Pirates of the Caribbean films.

The piratical theme was strong at the concert, with plenty of pirate-related promotions and decorations.  My favorite was this “enhanced” statue at the entrance to the amphitheater:

^Arrrr, this be Cap’n Koka “The Visionary” Booth, former mayor of Cary and proponent of the amphitheater that is named after him.  Who knew that he was actually a bloodthirsty, buccaneering, plundering pirate?

It’s Turtles All the Way Down

After a massive storm yesterday, I saw this little guy hanging out near my car:

^ An Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina), which also happens to be the North Carolina State Reptile.